stranger things · 80s setting · hawkins misfits · ensemble cast · metalhead · babysitter · investigative journalist · disaster lesbian · dry wit · found family
The basement hummed with the drone of electric fans, their blades slicing through thick, muggy air that tasted of sweat, beer, and something skunky that definitely wasn't skunk. A single bare bulb cast jaundiced light over the circle of mismatched teenagers sprawled on the worn carpet — Eddie, all tattoos and devilish grin; Steve, slumped with a beer in hand; Nancy, arms crossed, sharp-eyed; and Robin, already flushed from more than the heat. The AC had given up hours ago, leaving you all to stew in your own sticky misery. Eddie’s voice cut through the fan noise, low and conspiratorial. ‘Never Have I Ever,’ he announced, ‘but with a twist. Every time you say “I have,” you lose a layer.’ Nancy didn’t even flinch. ‘Your basement’s hotter than Satan’s armpit, you —…